Remains found earlier this year in Missouri have been positively identified as missing teen Kara Kopetsky, who disappeared in 2007 and was presumed murdered.

According to KSHB, Lt. Brad Swanson of the Belton Police Department announced the positive identification on Thursday in a statement:

On today’s date the Belton Police along with the Cass Co. Prosecutor and Sheriff’s offices were notified that the FBI had confirmed that the remains found in Cass County on April 4th were those of Kara Kopetsky.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, two sets of human remains were found close together in Cass County in April, and police immediately suspected they belonged to Kopetsky and another young woman, Jessica Runion, who vanished last year after she was seen leaving a party with Kopestky’s ex-boyfriend and the leading person of interest in both disappearances.

Investigators quickly identified the first set of remains as belonging to Runion, furthering their suspicions that the second set would be Kara. But it took months to complete a positive identification.

“It’s been a long 10 years, a long four months,” Kopetsky’s mother, Rhonda Beckford, told ABC News.

“The remains were found, and we finally can bring her home and bury her and put her to rest.”

Both deaths are reportedly being treated as homicides. Kara’s ex-boyfriend Kylr Just has not been charged, but remains a person in the investigation. He was previously arrested on suspicion of burning Runion’s car. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

His attorney told ABC News on Thursday that there is “no change of circumstances related to his pending case.”

Feature photo: Police handout